Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Honey made by bees might not be marketed as a wonder drug or available by prescription anytime soon, but it has been used medicinally for thousands of years in countries such as Greece, China, Egypt and India. An overproduction of honey within hives is what honey gatherers and beekeepers look for, so the excess can be removed for other uses without endangering bees.

"Honey is extremely good for burns and wound healing as a whole," said Eric Mussen bee expert and scientist with UC Davis. "But you are not going to get many medical professionals to say this. If something goes wrong, they would rather avoid a suit."

Better known for his work with commercial beekeepers and his efforts to educate people about bee health, Mussen spoke about the virtues of an honest bee's work - collecting nectar, pollen and plant resin found in honey and propolis. Mussen said honey and propolis have been used as medicine since humans figured out how to collect honey from bees.

"We know propolis has antioxident properties too," Mussen.

Propolis is a type of resin extracted from various plants proven to be anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory in the laboratory and is believed by some to be helpful for ulcers and gastritis…